Dodge Matador
1960 Dodge Matador 4-Door Sedan
Overview
ManufacturerDodge (Chrysler)
Production1959-1960
DesignerVirgil Exner
Body and chassis
ClassFull-size
Body style2-door hardtop
4-door hardtop
4-door sedan
4-door wagon
LayoutFR layout
RelatedDodge Polara
Plymouth Belvedere
Powertrain
Engine361 cu in (5.9 L) V8
Transmission3-speed manual
2-speed PowerFlite auto
Dimensions
Wheelbase122 in (3,099 mm)
Length214 in (5,436 mm)
Curb weight3,880 lb (1,760 kg) approx.
Chronology
PredecessorDodge Coronet (Fourth generation)
SuccessorDodge Polara
1960 Dodge Matador 4-Door Hardtop

The Dodge Matador is a full-sized automobile which was produced for the 1960 model year by Dodge. The Matador was the base model, positioned below the top trim level Dodge Polara that also used the 122-inch (3,099 mm) wheelbase platform of the Chrysler Windsor and Chrysler Newport models.

Design

The Matador, was one of two new models produced by Dodge in 1960 when the marque dropped its long-running Coronet, Custom, Custom Royal, and Lancer models.[1] Sharing the same newly engineered unibody platform as the slightly smaller Dodge Dart, the Matador was designated Dodge's full-size base trim vehicle, with the Dodge Polara becoming the make's full-sized premium model.[2] The Matador line was positioned as a lower priced option to the Polara line to serve as the base-level, full-size car to above the newly introduced and successful 118-inch (2,997 mm) wheelbase Dart series.[3] However, full-sized cars in the U.S. market were at their lowest sales level since the end of World War II, and 1959 was not the best time to launch a new nameplate into the full-size segment for the 1960 model year.[4]

The 1960 Matador and Polara were built on 4-inch (102 mm) longer wheelbase along with the 1960 DeSoto and Chrysler models. All Matadors featured a standard "Super Red Ram" 295 hp (220 kW; 299 PS) 361 cu in (5.9 L) V8 engine.[2] The "D-500 with Ram Induction" 383 cu in (6.3 L) with dual four-barrel carburetors was optional, along with a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.[5] Similarly to other contemporary Chrysler automobiles, the automatic transmission was controlled by mechanical pushbuttons on the left side of the instrument panel.

The Matador (and the similar, better-trimmed Polara) featured styling cues that were carried over from 1959 models, themselves an evolution of Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" cars introduced in 1957. Exner was responsible for some of the most memorable cars during the tailfin era.[6] The 1960 Dodge version has been described as a "rocket age design."[7] Now built on a new unibody chassis, the 1960 Matador continued the Dodge styling hallmarks of stacked "jet pod" taillights; however, the size of the lights was greatly exaggerated, with the lower light set into the rear bumper. The design also incorporated Dodge's shortened tailfins that included small vertical taillight lenses placed on the vertical surface at the back of the fin; again. The purpose of the shortened fin was meant to exaggerate the length of the "jet pods" holding the taillights. The front end featured a small grille comprising six stacks of aluminum rectangles nested in a massive (and complex) front bumper assembly.

The interior featured cloth and vinyl bench seats with premium trim and an "X-within-an-X four-spoke steering wheel."[3] The dashboard was "space-age-styled" featuring a bridged-over sweep-style speedometer on top flanked by gauge pods and a "revolving turret clock" centered on the instrument panel.[3]

All 1960 Dodge station wagons used the 122 in (3,099 mm) wheelbase providing 98.5 cubic feet (2.79 m3) of cargo space with the back seats folded flat.[5] The Matador trim was available in six- or nine-passenger (with a rear-facing third row bench seat) versions both featuring a roll-down rear window into the tailgate.[5][8]

The Matador had less exterior chrome trim and plainer interiors than found on the Polara. The majority of cars built by Dodge and sold during the 1960 model year were in Dodge's new "smaller" and less expensive full-sized model, the Dodge Dart, which fielded three sub-series (Seneca, Pioneer, and Phoenix) of its own.

A total of 27,908 Dodge Matadors were produced for 1960.[2] Low sales volume of the Matador, the continuing popularity of the Dart models, and the launch of the compact Lancer meant the Matador nameplate was dropped for the 1961 model year leaving only the Polara as the full-size Dodge.[3]

Legacy

The Matador nameplate was later used by AMC from 1971 until 1978 for its mid- and full-sized AMC Matador cars.[3][9] Coincidentally, Chrysler went on to purchase American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "1960 Dodge cars: Dart, Polara, and Matador". allpar.com. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "1960-1961 Dodge Polara/Matador". How Stuff Works. 28 November 2007. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "1960 Dodge Matador: Full-Sized, One Year Only Mopar". throttlextreme.com. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Clarke, Adam (4 May 2019). "One Year Only: 1960 Dodge Matador". Barn Finds. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Dodge Dart and 1960 Dodge Station Wagon Specifications". lov2xlr8.no. p. 13. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Strohl, Daniel (21 November 2013). "Concours of America to honor Virgil Exner's automotive designs with special class". Hemmings. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "1960 Dodge Matador 4 dr sedan". autoarcheologist.com. 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "Dodge Dart and 1960 Dodge Station Wagon Specifications". lov2xlr8.no. p. 8. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Corey (29 December 2021). "Rare Rides Icons: The AMC Matador, Medium, Large, and Personal (Part I)". The Truth About Cars. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  10. ↑ Holusha, John (10 March 1987). "Chrysler is buying American Motors; Cost is $1.5 billion". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  • Gunnell, John, ed. (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-096-0.
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